Airlines Black List - Explanations

5. I have to get in an aircraft. Is the airline safe?

A National Authority is in charge of the continuing oversight and surveillance of the national airlines. An air transportation certificate (or an equivalent document) is issued by the National Authority for an airline when it has been demonstrated that the airline complies with the safety standards requested by the international current regulation.

This certificate is given to foreign airlines by their own Authority. Others Authorities have only few pieces of information about foreign airlines. Data comes from the ground control performed in the frame of the SAFA program. Moreover, thanks to the SAFA program, a European National Authority has access to the ground control performed by the others European National Authorities. But these controls are not enough for a complete evaluation of the safety level of an airline.

Therefore, the European countries worked together in order to establish a European black list. This list informs the passengers of the airlines whose safety level has been judged unsatisfactory by the European Authorities.